Fuding Shou Mei White Tea Cake 2013

I’ve never bought a fuding tea before so I’m grateful for the samples that people have sent me. This one is two years old which makes it a bit more appealing to me, in a way that it is a bit unique in that regard opposed to the others.
This has notes of what I would describe as fading toast as if the flavor is disappearing. It’s a bit more settled than a fresh fuding, but I’m not sure if I can really say that as I’ve only has two. I’ll just say that this was smoother than I expected.
While it was a fun experience, I don’t believe fuding is a tea variation for me; I say this after three different sessions with this particular tea and others.

This is one that Teavivre had sent to me previously for review with some other white teas, but somehow this one got missed! The beau and I were going to brew up one of the new blacks/shou pu for review but I wanted to round out the last batch. We are also both really intrigued by a white tea cake. He has a cold as well, so hot tea sounds lovely.

We’re using the whole sample packet in boiling water in a 24 ounce teapot. This is a really big sample so I am comfortable with those parameters. The dry leaves consist of obvious chunks from a cake in several large pieces and a few smaller broken pieces – possibly from transport and storage. I gave the big infuser a shake and nothing fell through. No crumbs in sight, despite the odd smaller piece.

I am not hugely familiar with white teas, but I did like the ones I tried from Teavivre recently, and I am very interested in how this comes off, since it seems to share similiarities with blacks/shou pu which are more my area. The smell is sweet and honeyed, like hay and fields but also strong. Not very floral in the dry aroma, but very strong. Steeped, the leaves are HUGE. They’ve taken up the entire infuser. If I put them loose in the pot they probably would have filled the whole thing. They are like something from Goosebumps, growing bigger and bigger…

Tastewise, this isn’t what I expected. It reminds me of a lightly roasted oolong, with a hint of smoke and some strong earthiness. But there is also a light floral note which is mixed in really well. I don’t know that I would have guessed this is a white tea if I were presented with it unknowingly. It reminds me of rock oolongs with a bit of a mineral note. I’m really curious to read everyone elses notes on this one!

The beau says it is earthy, but light. Tastes like a white tea but with something more heavy and earthy, like puerh. He also gets a little bit of smokiness.

All in all, this is a really interesting tea experience. I wouldn’t keep it on hand for myself, but that is because my tastes are toward stronger darker teas. I think it would be a really cool introduction to white tea for someone who prefers those stronger flavours though. Really neat!

This is a odd one, in a good way. I ordered a sample because this might be only Teavivres tea that has scored five stars. (At least was, checked it)
As usual it’s a small chunk from the cake, it’s made from whole leaves that are pretty big, also some stems are visible. It has different shades of brown, from dark to light brown and smells bit fermented and hay. I used western style 7mins and 100C, when I poured water on the leaves they started to smell something like dried rhubarb. It smells really much like black tea, and tea is also yellowish-red in color. I didn’t expect this. Also leaves turned into reddish brown.
It has honey like flavour that has raisins, dried fruit and malt in it. It’s like black tea with white tea like note in it. I can’t decide if I like it much or not. I really like that raisin and dried fruit notes but it’s still too black tea like for me. But everyone who like black teas should try this at least once.

I don’t understand how unflavored white tea can be so tasty!

I haven’t had much luck with it in the past, but clearly this is different! I really really loved it!

Exclamation points!

Had a good robust taste to it, not an average white tea. I enjoyed the whole experience. Thank you to Teavivre for the sample!

Wish listed :)

i was drinking this most of the morning but sadly my taste buds are not cooperating today or maybe it’s my brain. the taste of this one is super familiar and yet, i can’t place it. very frustrating. I’m going to have to order more of this one because it is super delicious, refreshing….yeah that’s all i’ve got for now heh

Additional notes: Could this be aging into a darker tea? The second and third brews were very dark. I don’t remember the first steep session like this years ago. The flavor is less like maple now and more like a very light black tea.

Thank you to Teavivre for letting me sample this tea! I unfortunately didn’t take great notes the first time around, but do have another packet that I intend to get to as soon as possible. What I do recall, is that the flavour was fairly tasty (sweet and hay-like), but rather light, considering I used the entire packet for an 8 oz. mug (and did infuse for the instructed time, somewhere between 6 and 10 minutes). I’m not used to white teas, for the most part, so I expect that might be part of it (also, unfiltered work water and/or drinking other more-flavoured teas around the same time). Perhaps I’ll do more of a white tea tasting one day, where I am sure not to eat strongly flavoured foods, or drink other strongly flavoured teas.

Whenever I review samples that were given to me I like to try and sit down and really take the effort to enjoy and think about the taste. This fall it has been hard to find the right opportunity for this. Tonight I FINALLY get to sit down with this tea which comes as a sample from Angel at TeaVivre. Thank you!

About two weeks ago I purchased my first ounce of aged white tea. I had never heard of such a thing until both of these teas ended up in my cupboard. This type of tea is amazing and this sample makes me immediately log onto the TeaVivre sight and plot how to get my next fix. The tea for me offered a fairly complex session. My first two infusions seemed to be a combination of apple, peach and cinnamon. Three and four taste similar to my description of hot southern ice tea with lemon, sweet with a fruity finish. 5 and 6 added some depth to the taste with a tad bit of astringency.

This is a really good tea. I wish I could have sipping on it but I got a bit distracted with chores around the house.

I’m not even sure how to describe this tea. This is one of if not the best White tea that I’ve had.
Thank You Angel for this sample!!
I’ve had this these samples for a while now and just havent tried some of them until now, I think I got them
in the Spring
I’m really glad that I waited until Autumn to try this one because it’s a wonderfull fall time tea IMO, like I
said tho I’m not even sure how to describe it.
I’ll start by saying that this one is quite different than most whites I’ve had even white tea cakes, it’s difficult because this one actually has most of the same typical notes that I also get from all the other whites that I’ve had with the honey, hay, grassy, spicey, fruity notes ect everything that I’ve ever tasted in other whites are in this tea somewhere AND also has IMO many characteristics of other tea types as well from yellow, to oolong and even at times similar to a raw puerh.
It’s a Chameleon!
Some other notes that I don’t usually get from white are Malt, Toast or Roasty notes, Nutty, Earth, Vanilla(I’ve got slight vanilla from just a few whites but this has really nice vanilla notes) Fruit(this one had typical peachy, apricot notes that I generally find in whites as well as raisiny and plum like notes that i find in some blacks)
even some whiny grapey/muscatel notes like someblacks or darjeelings and thats not even all.
NOTHING at all off putting or bitter or atringent or anything in this one, Absolutely Perfect!

This Tea really blows me away, I love it, I have to say perhaps it’s actually the best White Tea that suits me and Surely one of the best Teas period that I’ve, It’s got so much going on.
I have to give this one 100 here because of it’s wonderfully complex diverse flavors.

I must have never had a Shuo Mei or maybe not a good one perhaps.

A sample from Angel at Teavivre. I’ve drank a fair few white teas on my journey so far, but I don’t think I even really knew they came in cake form. Once again, Teavivre broadens my tea horizons! The pouch directions specify 6-10 minutes in boiling water, so (with trepidation) I jumped in at the bottom end of the scale for my first steep.

The liquor is bright amber, very orangey. The scent is honey and hay, very thick and sweet. To taste, I picked up a distinctive (and unexpected!) mushroom flavour, and a touch of of damp leaves. So autumnal! I was expecting something more reminiscent of your average white peony blend, but this is completely different (and delicious).

On second steep, the liquor is again bright orange/amber. The main flavour this time is cinnamon, followed by the deep, rich flavour of dried apricots, rounded off with smooth, sweet honey.

Third steep, and the liquor has lost some of its amber/orange colouring. It’s now a more “ordinary” red-brown. The scent is more like I’d expect from a shou mei, quite floral (peony-like), with notes of hay and honey foremost. The flavour is, again, savoury. The damp leaf flavour from the first steep has re-emerged, and is followed by a heavy floral note, then, right at the end of the sip, a tinge of raw, green wood. There’s still a light, smooth creaminess to the overall cup that I really like.

Fourth steep also has a reddy-brown liquor, very similar to the third steep. The scent is primarily floral, like an ordinary shou mei, but with hints of wood and damp leaf. To taste, the flavour this time is noticeably more delicate than previous steeps. The main note I can detect is wood, followed by a hint of cinnamon, rounded off with the floral, peony-like flavour I’ve come to associate with white tea. It’s a tiny bit drying in the mouth — not astringent or bitter at all, but a little powdery in the aftertaste. Mid-sip, the liquor itself is still smooth.

Fifth steep, again, results in a red-brown liquor. The scent is wood and an almost dusty floral. To taste, I can detect primarily peony. It’s a reasonably mild flavour all round, but still definitely identifiable as a shou mei. The drying, powderiness is still present.

Sixth steep, and the liquor is now more of a golden brown than a red brown. The scent is lighter this time around, but I’m picking up raw wood and peony. To taste, the main note is now just plain peony. I notice that the layers of flavour are diminishing a little with successive later steeps, although I still feel like this batch of leaves has a lot to give. The dryness I noted in my previous couple of cups is becoming more pronounced.

I’m pretty sure this one could have stood more steeps, but the work day is pretty much over. I’m not going to try and take the leaves home with me (lack of a suitable container, really) so it’s goodbye for now. I have another sample pouch of this one, so I’ll try and fit a few more steeps in next time. Given that it’s entertained me all day, though, I consider it great value! I’d definitely consider buying white tea in cake form in the future.

Many thanks to Angel and Teavivre for providing this sample. I really do feel like my understanding of white tea has improved since I started the sampler!